Bob Finnan's NBA notes: Delonte West has had an eventful career

Delonte West is trying to revive his NBA career after a number of missteps.

He was scheduled to make his NBA Development League debut on Saturday night with the Texas Legends.

Whether he makes it back to the NBA largely depends on whether he can behave himself.

At 29, he should be at the peak of his career. Instead, he's being viewed as an outsider.

West was waived by the Mavericks in training camp. He committed to join the Legends in late January, but didn't report to the team.

Former Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry was a big fan of West when he was coming out of college. West was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2004 draft. Ferry tried to swing a deal for the St. Joseph's guard on the night of the draft, but came up short.

Ferry finally got his hands on West in February 2008 in a blockbuster deal with Seattle and Chicago. It was never a dull moment with West, who played for the Cavs from 2008-10.

He paid immediate dividends in 2008 playoffs vs. Washington and Boston, which might have greased the skids for his three-year, $12.7 million deal with the Cavs in the offseason. Even that didn't go smoothly, as his agent ripped into the Cavs' front office and threatened to send his client to play in Russia.

West shifted to shooting guard after the Cavs traded for Mo Williams in the summer of 2008. He helped the Cavs win 66 games during the 2008-09 season.

West was a go-to guy in the locker room for the Cleveland media. He was very candid and didn't sugarcoat his comments. Somewhere along the way, things started to go awry. He stopped talking to the media and admitted that he suffered from bipolar disorder.

This reporter once approached him at practice and asked what the problem was. He replied, "It just doesn't matter."

West's arrest on Sept. 17, 2009, will live in infamy. He was given a traffic violation while riding his three-wheeled motorcycle. He had an arsenal of guns and knives in his possession, according to reports. He eventually pleaded guilty to the traffic violation and the weapons charges and was sentenced to electronic monitoring, unsupervised probation and 40 hours of community service. He was also asked to undergo psychological counseling.

At the start of the 2009-10 season, he spoke at the Cavs' media day, and didn't speak to the Cleveland media again. He missed a large part of training camp and several games for undisclosed reasons. When one Cleveland-area reporter said hello to him in the locker room before one game, he unleashed a string of expletives. Apparently, he blamed the media for reporting on the motorcycle incident and his admission about being bipolar.

It proved to be his last season with the Cavs. They were tired of his antics. GM Chris Grant traded him to Minnesota in July 2010 for Ramon Sessions and Ryan Hollins. The Timberwolves waived him before he ever played a game.

During his last year with the Cavs, nasty rumors surfaced of a romantic relationship between West and LeBron James' mother Gloria. There doesn't appear to be any truth to the Internet reports.

He signed with Boston and was suspended by the NBA for the first 10 games of the 2010-11 season for the traffic stop incident. West signed with Dallas the following season, and promptly went on a nasty Twitter rant directed at a former Cleveland reporter.

He signed another deal with the Mavericks this season, but was suspended indefinitely following an argument after a preseason loss on Oct. 15, 2012. He was reinstated after one day, but suspended again on Oct. 25. Four days later, he was waived. He hasn't played in an NBA game since.

If he keeps his nose clean in the D-League, someone might sign him to a 10-day contract. He would be eligible to be on someone's playoff roster. According to the New York Post, the Knicks will monitor West's play for the Legends.

No shot blocker

One thing missing with the Cavs this season is a legitimate shot blocker. The team leader is Tyler Zeller with 56, one ahead of Tristan Thompson.

"I'd love to have a couple of guys down there that would change shots and block shots," Cavs coach Byron Scott said. "Hopefully, we'll get that in due time. I think the guys that can't do it, they do a great job of is taking charges."

"If you're not a great shot blocker, if you're a great team defender and you know where to be and you're OK with sacrificing your body for the good of the team, then it still works out pretty good for us," Scott said.

Scott said he thinks Zeller (0.93 per game) and Thompson (0.85) can eventually grow into shot blockers. The Cavs are next-to-last in the NBA in blocked shots.

He said most shot blockers come from the weak side.

"A lot of times, great shot blockers are not great shot blockers on the ball, it's off the ball," Scott said. "They're not blocking their man's shot, so it's knowing where that ball is going and how to get to that spot so you can be effective as far as blocking the shots."

Top agents

The Bleacher Report's Michael Pina took an interesting look at the most influential agents in the NBA. Cleveland's Rich Paul, a Benedictine High grad, checks in at No. 5. Here's a look at the top five:

1. Arn Tellem: He has the most NBA clients (45), the most All-Stars (12) and twice as many maxed-out deals as any other agent (six). The guaranteed money his players are scheduled to earn is a smidge over $80 million more than the next agent. Pina said there's Tellem, and then there's everybody else.

Among his top clients are Derrick Rose, the Gasol brothers, LaMarcus Aldridge, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, the Lopez brothers and Al Horford.

2. Jeff Schwartz: He can proudly say he works for some of the most popular names in basketball, including Paul Pierce, Deron Williams, Blake Griffin and Brandon Jennings. In a contract year, Jennings surprised people around the league by leaving Bill Duffy at BDA Sports Management last month and signing with Schwartz.

He represents 34 players, seven of them All-Stars at one time. But his work on behalf of some of the league's lesser fellows is what makes him so popular with the players. After ending last season in Dallas as embarrassingly bad as any player could, Lamar Odom was given $8.2 million by the Los Angeles Clippers over the summer. It was only for one year, sure, but the deal is a gross overpay from a financial standpoint. Schwartz negotiated it.

3. Rob Pelinka: Popularly known as Kobe Bryant's agent, Pelinka is much, much more. Apart from representing the highest-paid player in the game, he's one of the most powerful agents in basketball. Kevin Durant and James Harden will take him into the future after Bryant retires. But along with those three, Pelinka's influence elsewhere should be watched closely (he represents 17 other players).

He instructed Cavs guard Dion Waiters not to work out for any teams before the 2012 draft, and his strategy worked to perfection. Waiters was the No. 4 pick in the draft.

4. Dan Fegan: He represents the top center in the league in the Lakers' Dwight Howard, who will be unrestricted this summer. He won't have any trouble getting him a max deal. In total, he represents 26 players, including John Wall and Cavs center Anderson Varejao.

He'll make Lakers forward Earl Clark a lot of money this summer as a free agent.

5. Rich Paul: Klutch Sports Management doesn't represent dozens of clients like some of the other agents. He just has the best player in the game in Heat forward LeBron James. Paul also represents Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe, a soon-to-be free agent who is expected to strike it rich this summer. Paul could become a household name in the summer of 2014 when James could return to the Cavs. Paul also represents Thompson.

Paying homage to Spurs

NBA TV analyst Dennis Scott said he thinks the San Antonio Spurs have what it takes to remain the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoff race.

"When you play the game the right way -- you make the extra pass, you find the open man -- that's why I think they can hold onto that spot," he said.

Forward/center Tim Duncan has been rejuvenated this season, even at age 36.

"He is amazing to watch every single night," TNT analyst Charles Barkley said.

Part of their success can be traced to their system.

"When you have a great system, guys like Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green look like superstars," TNT analyst Shaquille O'Neal said.

Rumor mill

-- There are more than a few people around the NBA who think there will be pressure on Grant to succeed next season. The Cavs might need to make the playoffs in order for Grant and Scott to hold onto their jobs. You hear Cavs' fans say they don't want to be the eighth seed in the playoffs. They want to contend for a title. Well, you have to start that process somewhere. Make the playoffs next year and get your clock cleaned in the first round. Then come back the following season and try to get further. That's how it works in the NBA.

-- Cavs forward Luke Walton was just a throw-in to make the Sessions trade with the Lakers work. Now, he's become an important part of the team. Teams are not going to be lined up to sign the 32-year-old forward this summer. He could come back for the league minimum.

-- Cavs guard Shaun Livingston will command more than the minimum. The Cavs will face some competition for his services. Perhaps the Cavs could offer him something like a two-year, $4 million deal. Both Walton and Livingston have become leaders on the team. The younger players listen when they speak.

-- Guard Daniel Gibson won't be back with the Cavs. He just can't stay healthy for any length of time. The same goes for forward Omri Casspi.

-- Swingman C.J. Miles has a team option on his contract worth $2.25 million next year. He most certainly should be retained.

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Information for the NBA notebook was gathered by personal interviews and from other beat writers around the league.